Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-17
tee. till Sothern, who liked anything
new, was crazy 70 try it. and Raymond
took him ND there with gang.

| aLould let go On the roast ana tfy tneiil,
but Sothern would not. When they
we're oil sitting out on the balcony and
The fiddlcs were rasping the varnish Oh
the carved work with their devihsh noise
Sothern said:
"'It's great. wouldn't have missed
il. That WAS absolutely the most deli
cate pig ever tasted.
"'lig nothing sail Raymond. II
was dog.
Z" log p
- Yes, dog
"Fosh 7
"'Bci you bottle it was dog
"SotheIn turned little pale, but
took il. They went back through a
narrow passaeeway to the kitchen, and,
sure enough, there was the skin, head,
and paws of the puppy still on the
cbopping-block. Sothern disappeared.
he didn't come back, but went home
mad. Poor fellow II was long time
before he forgave it,"
There was laugh. Then some one
said:
"Tell us the sequel, Billy"
Florence smiled. You want the
sequel, do you," he said.
Eyes" In chorus.
"Well, / was always friend OF
Sothern's when he wasn't devilling me
with some Robbery or other, and a
couple of years afterward l fell into
Memphis along with Raymond. We
had n big Niger cook at the hotel, with
one of the toughest faces / ever saw on
human being. If I'd met him on a
dark night anywhere, and could have
seen him, I'D run for my life. took
care of him, however, with 6 dime or
two, and he put himself out for me in
the cooking line. He got me up dish
one day that was mighty good, and
it was my first taste of coon.
l was talking with him about it
afterward in the kitchen, and an
idea struck me. 1 told him to get one
and stew it for Raymond, who was q
little under the weather, and was
dining in his room. Now coon's foot,
when it is boiled, with the skin off,
looks more like a little baby's foot
than anything else in the world: The
darkey caught my idea, end he took a
lot of the little bones and stewed them
into platter with the two little feet
half covered up and half sticking out
in careless kind of way. He got it
all ready for John to look at after he
had eaten the stew, and then carried
I'D his dinner. l gave him time to
finish, and when / went in | could see
that lie had eaten all there was III sight.
81 grumbled a little. Blast the
hotel, said / cant get anything fit to
eat i'll it, said l.
"'Eat, said John; why, I've just
had the finest game stew ever ate.
"'Game, said 1, there's no game
this tine of the year What was it :?
Hest If L know, said he, and rings
the hell.
Il told him he ought TO be mighty
careful what he ate there, as there were
a good many queer stories going round
about the cook, and just as | had put
the wedge III the cook appeared.
"What was that stew?' said Ray
mond.
" Young antelope. sah.'
"' Nonsense, said /. There's not
an antelope within 800 miles of here
1.-The cook looked confused, and |
ordered him to bring up the bones.
He brought 'em up, and we poked
among 'em. John found a foot and
looked up in terror. He was afraid to
touch it.
"'It is, said l.
"'lt can't be, said he. Holy -
"And he went. The very idea was
too much for him. He dropped on it
before he came back, but Sothern was
even"
Then somebody recalled the time
when Raymond was playing Colonel
Sellers at the Grand Opera-House, and
some of the lambs put up job on him
to pay back certain debts in the joking
line that he was always mourning. Steele
Machaye, Walden Pell Scrymser
Mara, an artist Jack Miley, and some
others made up their minds to go on in
the last act in the count scene of "The
Gilded Age" The first ordered fine
supper for Raymond, as it was the last
night of the engagement. Then they
arrayed themselves in dress suits, went
over to the theatre, and, having previ-
ously fixed matters with the stage-man-
ager, filed into the jury-box, unknown
to Raymond, before the curtain rose.
He entered soon after, sat down to the
business of talking with Laura Haw-
kins and happened to cast his eye on
the juIy-box.
His jaw fell, his eyebrows lifted, and
he shook his fist and went through a
pantomime of the most bloodthirsty
threats. 1t was a tough crowd, how
ever, and they did not weaken an inch.
No sooner had the trial begun than
Mara jumped to his feet, exclaiming
81 no speaka da Ingis. You getta
enterpret."
"Sit down " cried the Judge.
81 can no hear. wanta enterpret,"
screamed Mara.
Miley choked him Of, and he sub
sided. With some difficulty the cue
was found, but no sooner had the scene
commenced than Miley rose:
90 Yer Arn'r," said he.
"What."
"He's not tarkin Oirish. Av We don't
tark Oirisb, how'll understand the
violence 2
Raymond was pale with anger. Eve
rything was in confusion. Scrymser
tried to speak, the Judge was hammer
ing with his gavel, and the audience
were simply petrifed. They could not |
make head or tail of the matter. The |
actors, outside of Raymond, however,
were in tears of laughter. The trial
ended and the jury went out. Mackaye |
was foreman. When they fled back a
few minutes later the Judge said
Gentlemen, have YOU agreed upon
a verdict 2"
I'VE have, said Mackaye solemnly. |
I" We find the defendant guilty"
"You mean not guilty" roared Ray
mond.
Eve mean guilty." roared the jury.
Raymond made frantic signs into the
wings. Ring down, ring down." he
in a hoarse whisper. Then
he grabbed bottle ON the table, rose,
and threw up his arms, crying:
Gentlemen. appeal to you. For
ihe sake of the eye-water, say not
guilty.
And tbe curtain fell IN tho uaddesf